The workplace is meant to be a structured environment for adults, designed with responsibilities, risks, and expectations that demand maturity, skill, and accountability. Yet, the infiltration of children into such spaces, especially in roles that carry immense danger, has remained a troubling reality in parts of our society. Recent incidents involving minors handling tasks reserved for trained adults serve as painful reminders of the risks and the devastating consequences of neglecting global and national labour standards.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has consistently stood against the engagement of children in hazardous work. Its conventions, particularly Convention 138 on Minimum Age and Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, clearly outline that children must not be subjected to work environments that threaten their health, safety, or morals. Nigeria, as a signatory to these conventions, has also enshrined these principles within its labour laws. The Nigerian Labour Act explicitly prohibits children under the age of 18 from being employed in industrial undertakings or in work environments that expose them to danger. These provisions are not merely bureaucratic standards; they exist to protect children from environments that their bodies and minds are not yet ready to navigate.
Allowing children into such dangerous spaces strips away their innocence and places them in the direct line of physical harm. Vehicles, machines, and industrial operations are unforgiving terrains where a moment of inexperience can lead to irreversible loss. The consequences are not theoretical—they manifest in lives cut short, injuries that leave permanent scars, and families left grappling with grief that could have been avoided. Every time a child is put behind the wheel of a machine or placed in an environment laden with hazards, society gambles recklessly with lives.
For the families affected, the pain goes beyond statistics or policy violations. It is the unending ache of parents burying children who should have been in school, chasing dreams, and growing into responsible adults. It is the trauma of siblings who watch their peers disappear not because of illness or natural causes, but because adults failed to protect them from circumstances they were never meant to endure. The grief echoes beyond the home, spreading to communities and deepening mistrust in institutions that should safeguard the most vulnerable.
The dangers are not limited to the children themselves. When unqualified minors are placed in roles meant for skilled adults, they endanger the lives of others as well. Roads become unsafe, workplaces turn into ticking time bombs, and innocent bystanders bear the brunt of mistakes that were preventable. A vehicle mishandled by a child is not just a violation of labour laws—it is a weapon that can wipe out families, destabilize communities, and leave a trail of destruction that no compensation or apology can repair.
As HR professionals, we understand that the workplace is a delicate ecosystem where safety, competence, and accountability must align. Introducing children into this ecosystem breaks the balance and undermines the very principles of workplace safety. It disregards the science of human development, ignoring the fact that children lack the cognitive maturity, emotional regulation, and physical capacity to handle such responsibilities. It reduces children to tools, rather than protecting them as the treasures they are.
The ILO and Nigerian Labour Law are not abstract documents—they are moral compasses reminding us that the line between work and exploitation must never be blurred. To expose children to hazardous work is not only illegal but deeply unethical. It violates the very conscience of society and erodes the future we claim to be building. When children are taken from classrooms and placed in harm’s way, the collective dream of national progress suffers, because no nation thrives when its future leaders are sacrificed on the altar of negligence and recklessness.
This is why every stakeholder—families, employers, regulators, and HR professionals—must remain vigilant. Families must resist the temptation to push children into adult responsibilities prematurely. Employers must recognize that cheap or convenient labour today could translate into irreversible damage tomorrow. Regulators must enforce the law with firmness, ensuring that violators are held accountable. And HR professionals must continue to advocate for workplaces that respect not just the rights of workers, but also the sanctity of childhood.
The tragedies we witness are not accidents in the truest sense; they are the result of choices—choices to ignore the law, to overlook ethical standards, and to treat children as expendable. Each time this happens, the pain etched on the faces of grieving families should remind us of the cost of our negligence. We cannot claim ignorance, because the dangers are clear, the laws are clear, and the consequences are devastatingly clear.
Children belong in classrooms, playgrounds, and safe spaces that nurture their growth. They do not belong in industrial sites, behind wheels, or in any environment where one mistake can alter the course of their lives forever. To allow otherwise is to rob them of their future and to wound families with a grief they should never have to bear. The workplace must remain a space for adults, while childhood must remain sacred and protected. Anything less is a betrayal of our humanity.
Samuel Jekeli a Human Resources Professional writes from Abuja
